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We compute the one-loop divergences in a higher-derivative theory of gravity including Ricci tensor squared and Ricci scalar squared terms, in addition to the Hilbert and cosmological terms, on an (generally off-shell) Einstein background. We work with a two-parameter family of parametrizations of the graviton field, and a two-parameter family of gauges. We find that there are some choices of gauge or parametrization that reduce the dependence on the remaining parameters. The results are invariant under a recently discovered "duality" that involves the replacement of the densitized metric by a densitized inverse metric as the fundamental quantum variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rapid thermal annealing of sputter-deposited ZnO and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films with and without an amorphous silicon (a-Si) capping layer was investigated using a radio-frequency (rf) argon thermal plasma jet at atmospheric pressure. The resistivity of bare ZnO films on glass decreased drastically from 106 to 103 Ω·cm at maximum surface temperatures Tmax above 650°C, whereas the resistivity increased from 10−4 to 10−3–10−2 Ω·cm for bare AZO films. On the other hand, the resistivity of AZO films with a 30-nm-thick a-Si capping layer remained below 10−4 Ω·cm, even after TPJ annealing at a Tmax of 825°C. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoemission electron studies revealed that the film crystallization of both AZO and a-Si layers was promoted without the formation of an intermixing layer. Additionally, the crystallization of phosphorous- and boron-doped a-Si layers at the sample surface was promoted, compared to that of intrinsic a-Si under identical plasma annealing conditions. The role of the a-Si capping layer on sputter-deposited AZO and ZnO films during TPJ annealing is demonstrated. The effects of the mixing of phosphorous and boron impurities in a-Si:H during TPJ annealing of flat and textured AZOs are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Early caries lesion is a demineralization process that takes place in the top 0.1 mm layer of tooth enamel. In this study, X-ray microbeam diffraction was used to evaluate the hydroxyapatite crystallites in the subsurface lesion of a bovine enamel section and the results are compared with those obtained by transversal microradiography, a method commonly used for evaluation of tooth mineral. Synchrotron radiation from SPring-8 was used to obtain a microbeam with a diameter of 6 μm. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction reports the amount of hydroxyapatite crystals, and small-angle X-ray scattering resorts that of voids in crystallites. All three methods showed a marked decrease in the enamel density in the subsurface region after demineralization. As these diffraction methods provide structural information in the nanometre range, they are useful for investigating the mechanism of the mineral loss in early caries lesion at a nanometre level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The peptide hormone insulin forms a spherical aggregate, called a spherulite, at low pH and high temperature. A spherulite is composed of a core and many fibrils extending from it. These fibrils are thought to be amyloid fibers with a β-sheet structure. In the present study, spherulites with a diameter of 50–100 μm were examined by X-ray fiber diffraction using a 6 μm beam. When a spherulite was scanned with the microbeam and the observed diffraction patterns were arranged in a two-dimensional array, the direction of the scatter was centrosymmetric, demonstrating a symmetric growth of fibrils. There were diffraction peaks at Bragg spacings of 23 nm, 3.3 nm and 1.2 nm in the direction perpendicular to the fibrils and 0.48 nm along the fibrils. The 0.48 nm reflection shows that the hydrogen bonds between β-strands are along the fibril. The 23 nm reflection corresponds to the separation between fibrils, the 3.3 nm reflection is due to the arrangement of protofilaments, and the 1.2 nm reflection arises from the arrangement of peptide chains. On the basis of these results, a model of a fibril with an extended insulin molecule is proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an IgE-mediated inflammatory disease of the nasal mucous membranes, characterized by paroxysms of sneezing, itching of the nose, eyes, palate, pharynx, and conjunctivae, nasal stuffiness with partial or total obstruction of airflow and mucous secretion often accompanied by post-nasal drainage. A T helper (Th)1/Th2 cytokine imbalance with a predominance of Th2 cytokines has been suggested of pathogenic importance in AR. To evaluate the role of Th1/Th2 cytokines in AR, the subsets of Th1, Th2, T cytotoxic type 1 (Tc1) and Tc2 cells from patients with AR were examined by intracellular cytokine flow cytometry. The population of Tc1 cells (52.3±23.6%) in AR was significantly increased compared with that in control (35.4±14.6%, P<0.05). Th1, Th2 and Tc2 cells in AR were not significantly increased vs. control. However, the ratio of Th1/Th2 was significantly decreased and the ratio of Tc1/Tc2 was significantly higher in patients with AR compared with healthy individuals ( P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). These results indicate that the predominance of Th2 and Tc1 cells might contribute to the pathogenetic mechanism in AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Galactose-fed dogs develop retinal capillary changes similar to diabetic retinopathy with pericyte degeneration as the initial lesion. This is followed by the formation of microaneurysms, hemorrhages, and some areas of acellularity. To investigate the mechanisms for selective pericyte degeneration, retinal capillary pericytes and endothelial cells isolated from beagle dog retina were cultured for 2 weeks in Dulbecco''s modified Eagle''s medium (DMEM) containing 50 mM d-galactose. Apoptosis was detected in pericytes but not endothelial cells by in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated biotin-dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining and the DNA fragmentation assay on agarose gel electrophoresis. This apoptosis was prevented by the addition of the aldose reductase inhibitor AL 1576 to the culture medium containing galactose. Apoptosis was not observed when pericytes were similarly cultured in control DMEM medium. These data support the premise that the selective degeneration of retinal capillary pericytes observed in galactose-fed dogs is linked to increased aldose reductase activity in these cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

External electric field effects both on absorption spectra and on fluorescence spectra of meso,meso-linked porphyrin arrays doped in a polymer film have been examined using electric field modulation spectroscopy with the number of linked porphyrins (N) from 1 to 48. The magnitudes of the change in electric dipole moment (Δμ)) and in molecular polarizability (Δα) are evaluated for excitation into each of the exciton splitting components of the Soret band, and excitation dynamics has been discussed. Field-induced quenching of fluorescence occurs, as the number of N increases, suggesting that nonradiative process(es) at the emitting state is significantly enhanced by an electric field, as N increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the existence of soluble CD44 in human follicular fluid and its prognostic value in in vitro fertilization programs. Association with human chorionic gonadotropin; Univariate linear regression analysis; Impact of mean follicular levels of soluble CD44 on oocyte fertilization and morphological embryo quality.

Immune responsiveness of 121 patients with post-schistosomal liver cirrhosis to schistosomal antigens was investigated. Out of 78 patients, only five (6.4%) showed low responsiveness to schistosomal adult worm antigen whereas 73 (93.6%) were high responders. Out of 57 healthy individuals with previous schistosomal infection, low responders were found in 17.5%. The frequency of low responders to schistosomal adult worm antigen was significantly decreased in the patients with post-schistosomal liver cirrhosis (P < 005). Out of 121 patients, a significant increase in frequency of HLA-Bw44- DEn haplotype was observed (corrected P < 0.02). On the other hand, HLA- Bw52-Dw 12 haplotype which was reported to be in strong linkage disequilibrium with an immune suppression gene for schistosomal adult worm antigen was significantly decreased (corrected P < 0.005). These observations suggested that an HLA-linked immune suppression gene controlled susceptibility or resistance to post-schistosomal liver cirrhosis through regulation of immune responsiveness of the hosts to schistosomal antigen in man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed regulatory mechanisms of the human T cell response to soluble egg antigen (SEA) of Schistosoma japonicum in vitro. SEA is a crude antigen mixture containing numerous epitopes. We obtained SEA-induced T cell lines from five patients with chronic schistosomiasis japonica, and tested their proliferative response to molecular weight fractions of SEA. Although all T cell lines showed strong responses to crude SEA, there was a heterogeneity in fraction-driven responsiveness. All but one T cell line tested failed to respond to SEA fraction I (mol. wt> 18 kD). One patient who was typed as HLA-DQwl/w4, did not show proliferation of CD4+ T cells to fraction I: however, a fraction I-driven helper T cell response was observed when we added HU-11 monoclonal antibody specific for HLA-DQwl/w4. This indicated that the Patient had helper T cells to the fraction even though their response was suppressed. Because HLA-DQ had an effect on Functional expression of suppressor T cells, ii was suggested that there was epitope-specific regulation of the T cell response to SEA, and HLA-DQ-controlled immune suppression might be involved in the regulatory system in human chronic schistosome infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the cellular response of human lymphocytes to Dematophagoides pteronyssinus crude antigen and 14 molecular weight (MW) fractions. The cells were derived from atopic patients and healthy individuals who were skin test-positive or skin test-negative to mite antigen. When stimulated with crude antigen, the group of patients showed elevated proliferation and production of lymphokine in comparison with the healthy skin test-negative individuals (P <0.01). By stimulation with fractions, there was a remarkable variety in the responding patterns to each fraction. However, when expressed as a mean value, the patient group exhibited a sharp and high peak at 95,000 MW, which is different from IgE responses. In the other two groups, no apparent peak response was observed. Lymphokine production by fraction stimulation was studied in six distinct individuals. The most important fractions for inducing lymphokine production differed in each individual tested. Moreover, fractions which induced active lymphokine production were not necessarily the main targets of proliferative response in a topic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: We previously showed that proteinuria from a renal graft was significantly decreased by administration of losartan potassium, an angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB). To further evaluate the mechanism, we performed another clinical study focusing on the change in plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels among cyclosporine (CyA)-treated renal allograft recipients. Methods: Among 12 hypertensive CyA-treated kidney transplant patients, four received 25 to 50 mg/day of losartan; four, 4 to 8 mg/day of candesartan cilexetil; and another four, 20 to 40 mg/day of nifedipine. Four CyA-treated kidney-transplanted patients without hypertension were selected as a control group. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. PAI-1 and serum creatinine (S-Cr) levels were monitored every 3 months for 1 year. Results: Considering the pretreatment of PAI-1 as 100%, the mean percent of PAI-1 at 1 year after the onset of study for losartan, candesartan, nifedipine, and control groups were 78.6 ± 6.7%, 81.4 ± 8.0%, 96.7 ± 7.6%, and 110.4 ± 9.2%, respectively. The ARB groups demonstrated significant differences from the control group (P < .01), while the nifedipide group did not. S-Cr levels among ARB-administered groups were increased slightly but temporarily. As for S-Cr levels, no significant differences were seen among the four groups. Conclusions: Control of hypertension itself is important for all renal graft recipients; however, PAI-1 reduction by ARBs was thought to be a key for renal preservation. We expect that ARBs will contribute to prolonged renal allograft survival. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents an abstract of the study 'Magnetic Parameter Control for High-Density Quadrivalued MO Recording,' by N. Ohta, K. Shimazaki, M. Yoshihiro, N. Nagai and S. Ohnuki.

Presents a study that described a method for the measurement of coercive force in magnetic bubble garnets using microwave absorption. Analysis of the derivative absorption signal as a function of bias field; Examination of the derivative absorption as a function of modulation field amplitude; Application of the method on several bubble garnets.

Optical conductivity [σ(ω)] of PrRu4P12 has been studied under high pressure to 14 GPa, at low temperatures to 8 K, and at photon energies 12 meV-1.1 eV. The energy gap in σ(ω) at ambient pressure, caused by a metal-insulator transition due to an unconventional charge-density-wave formation at 63 K, is gradually filled in with increasing pressure to 10 GPa. At 14 GPa and below 30 K, σ(ω) exhibits a pronounced Drude-type component due to free carriers. This indicates that the initial insulating ground state at zero pressure has been turned into a metallic one at 14 GPa. This is consistent with a previous resistivity study under pressure, where the resistivity rapidly decreased with cooling below 30 K at 14 GPa. The evolution of electronic structure with pressure is discussed in terms of the hybridization between the 4f and conduction electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We previously confirmed that losartan (LOS), an angiotensin-II (A-II) receptor blocker, diminished plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in cyclosporine (CsA)-treated renal graft recipients. Because PAI-1 is known to correlate with tissue fibrosis, we speculated that LOS would have the potential to prevent renal graft interstitial fibrosis. In this study, we focused our attention on the LOS-induced histopathologic changes in renal grafts. Out of 24 CsA-treated normotensive kidney transplanted patients, 8 began to take 25 to 50 mg/day of LOS soon after kidney transplantation (group 1). Eight did so 2 years after kidney transplantation (group 2). Eight received no ARBs as a control group (group 3). PAI-1 levels were monitored every 3 months for 2 years. Renal graft biopsy was performed on all participants, with informed consent, before and 2 years after the onset of this study. The biopsy specimens were stained with periodic acid-methenamine-silver (PAM)-Masson stain for light-microscopic examination. Fibrotic areas in each biopsy specimen were measured using the LUZEX-III image analyzing system. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t-test. When we considered the pre-value of PAI-1 in each patient as 100%, the mean percent value of PAI-1 at 2 years after the onset of this study of groups 1, 2, and 3 were 81.5 ± 10.3%, 90.1 ± 12.5%, and 116.8 ± 11.9%, respectively (P < .01 groups 1 and 2 vs group 3). Light-microscopic examination revealed less remarkable renal interstitial fibrosis among LOS administered groups. A-II blockade may be a key to prevent renal graft interstitial fibrosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although Salmonella enterica can produce life-threatening colitis in horses, certain serotypes are more commonly associated with clinical disease. Our aim was to evaluate the proportional morbidity attributed to different serotypes, as well as the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Salmonella isolates from patients at an equine referral hospital in the southern United States. A total of 255 Salmonella isolates was obtained from clinical samples of patients admitted to the hospital between 2007 and 2015. Phenotypic resistance to 14 antibiotics surveilled by the U.S. National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System was determined using a commercially available panel. Whole-genome sequencing was used to identify serotypes and genotypic AMR. The most common serotypes were Salmonella enterica serotype Newport (18%), Salmonella enterica serotype Anatum (15.2%), and Salmonella enterica serotype Braenderup (11.8%). Most (n = 219) of the isolates were pansusceptible, while 25 were multidrug resistant (≥3 antimicrobial classes). Genes encoding beta-lactam resistance, such as blaCMY-2, blaSHV-12, blaCTX-M-27, and blaTEM-1B, were detected. The qnrB2 and aac(6')-Ib-cr genes were present in isolates with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Genes encoding resistance to gentamicin (aph(3')-Ia, aac(6')-IIc), streptomycin (strA and strB), sulfonamides (sul1), trimethoprim (dfrA), phenicols (catA), tetracyclines [tet(A) and tet(E)], and macrolides [ere(A)] were also identified. The main predicted incompatibility plasmid type was I1 (10%). Core genome-based analyses revealed phylogenetic associations between isolates of common serotypes. The presence of AMR Salmonella in equine patients increases the risk of unsuccessful treatment and causes concern for potential zoonotic transmission to attending veterinary personnel, animal caretakers, and horse owners. Understanding the epidemiology of Salmonella in horses admitted to referral hospitals is important for the prevention, control, and treatment of salmonellosis.IMPORTANCE In horses, salmonellosis is a leading cause of life-threatening colitis. At veterinary teaching hospitals, nosocomial outbreaks can increase the risk of zoonotic transmission, lead to restrictions on admissions, impact hospital reputation, and interrupt educational activities. The antimicrobials most often used in horses are included in the 5th revision of the World Health Organization's list of critically important antimicrobials for human medicine. Recent studies have demonstrated a trend of increasing bacterial resistance to drugs commonly used to treat Salmonella infections. In this study, we identify temporal trends in the distribution of Salmonella serotypes and their mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance; furthermore, we are able to determine the likely origin of several temporal clusters of infection by using whole-genome sequencing. These data can be used to focus strategies to better contain the dissemination and enhance the mitigation of Salmonella infections and to provide evidence-based policies and guidelines to steward antimicrobial use in veterinary medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent increase in plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance ( PMQR) has been detected among Salmonella isolated from humans in the United States, and it is necessary to determine the sources of human infection. We had previously isolated Salmonella from dairy farm environmental samples collected in Texas, and isolates were tested for anti-microbial susceptibility. Two isolates, serotyped as Salmonella Muenster, showed the discordant pattern of nalidixic acid susceptibility and intermediate susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. For this project, whole-genome sequencing of both isolates was performed to detect genes associated with quinolone resistance. The plasmid-mediated qnrB19 gene and IncR plasmid type were identified in both isolates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of PMQR in Salmonella isolated from food animals or agricultural environments in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination, distribution and pathogenicity of Toxocara canis and T. cati eggs in sandpits in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Japan, are described. A total of 34 sandpits were examined, 14 of which were contaminated with T. cati eggs, as assessed by the floatation method and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Two naturally contaminated sandpits were investigated to determine the vertical and horizontal distribution of eggs, and an inverse relationship between the sand depth and number of eggs was observed. To examine the pathogenicity of the eggs, three ICR mice were inoculated with 300 eggs, which were recovered from sandpits. The mice exhibited eosinophilia in the peripheral blood and IgG antibody production in the sera after 3 weeks of infection. Most migrating larvae were recovered from carcasses, although three were found in the brains of two infected mice. These three larvae were determined to be T. canis by PCR, revealing that not only T. cati, but also T. canis eggs could be found in sandpits and, further, that eggs recovered from sandpits have the ability to invade a paratenic host. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: We report on the results of the 195Pt NMR measurements for to clarify the microscopic electronic states at low temperatures. In and , the isotropic component of the Knight shift, that is, the contribution from the Pt states is smaller than that in . In the superconducting state, shows a small coherence peak just below , followed by an exponential decrease at low temperatures revealing on energy gap , which suggests a conventional BCS superconductor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Unprecedented memory effect of photoinduced switching of the electrical conductivity in α-(BEDT-TTF)2I3 controlled by the temporal width of square-wave pulsed voltages was reported, where BEDT-TTF represents bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene [Iimori et al., 2009]. Here, further study has been done in order to examine whether the memory effect can be controlled by changing the height of the pulsed voltage. Threshold values in the voltage height for the occurrence of the memory effect are characterized as a function of the width of pulsed voltages. The relation between the threshold height and the pulse width can be altered by a load resistance connected to the sample in series in a measurement circuit. It is also argued that time profiles of current observed in response to the application of pulsed voltages are inconsistent with a scenario in which the memory effect is ascribed to a temperature rise of the sample caused by photoirradiation and the successive application of pulsed voltages, i.e., the memory effect is not a thermal effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Photoirradiation effect on the electrical conductivity has been examined for an organic superconductor κ-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br, where BEDT-TTF represents bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene, based on the time-resolved resistance measurements. Visible laser pulses with a wavelength of 532nm were irradiated on the crystal surface, and the transient voltage signals induced by photoirradiation in the current-biased sample were monitored to obtain the transient time profile of the resistance. The increase of the resistance upon photoirradiation is observed with a slow decay lifetime of the order of millisecond both in the metallic phase and in the superconducting phase. The time profiles are remarkably different from each other, and a slow rise was observed only in the time profiles of the superconducting phase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Accurate measurement of the cross-section of the 12C(α, γ)16O reaction is very important in nuclear astrophysics. Enriched 12C targets prepared with the high energy vibrationl powder plating [HIVIPP] method for this purpose have been used successfully. Initially, however, the 12C deposits for studying this small cross-section partially peeled from their Au backings when irradiated with beam currents≥2 times the 7μA pulsed α-beam used previously. This problem was solved when the amorphous 12C powders were converted to graphite by heat-treatment in a high-temperature furnace. We investigated powder heat treatments at temperatures of 2600–3500°C to reveal, which conditions resulted in uniform and highly adhesive depositions on Au backings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have made enriched 12C targets to accurately measure the cross-section of the 12C(α,γ)16O reaction, which is very important in nuclear astrophysics. Isotopically enriched 12C targets for studying this small cross-section, especially for use with an intense pulsed α beam was desired to meet the following requirements: (1) use of impurity-free enriched 12C, (2) stability for a long time measurement and (3) uniform thickness in the range 200–300μg/cm2. To meet these experimental requirements, isotopically enriched amorphous 12C powder was converted into graphite powder in an electric furnace at a temperature of 3000K and subsequently the graphite powder was deposited on a thick Au backing via the HIVIPP method. Targets thus prepared could be made thicker than 200μg/cm2. They had a good uniformity and a very high stability against irradiation with high intensity ion beams. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: To evaluate the expression of human glucocorticoid receptors (hGRs), such as hGR (4H2), hGR-, and hGR-β, in non-neoplastic lymphoid follicles and B cell type malignant lymphomas. Methods: The expression of hGRs in non-neoplastic lymphoid follicles and malignant lymphomas, including diffuse large cell lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, and follicular lymphoma, was examined immunohistochemically. HGR (4H2) expression was confirmed by double immunostaining of tissues and in isolated cells from tonsillar germinal centres, and by immunoelectronmicroscopy. Results: In secondary lymphoid follicles of any non-neoplastic diseases—such as chronic tonsillitis, reactive lymphadenitis, and Kimura's disease—the germinal centre cells often expressed hGR (4H2) and hGR-α. Double immunocytochemical staining of isolated germinal centre cells showed that the majority of hGR (4H2) positive cells were CD20 positive B cells, and that follicular dendritic cells also expressed hGR. Immunoelectronmicroscopy revealed the presence of nuclear hGR (4H2) in the binucleated follicular dendritic cells and germinal centre cells. The frequency of hGR (4H2) expression in diffuse large B cell lymphoma was higher, that in mantle cell lymphoma was lower, and that in follicular lymphoma was intermediate among the types of malignant lymphoma. The hGR (4H2) expression was less frequent in cases of grade I follicular Iymphoma. Conclusions: There are differences in hGR expression between the germinal centre and the mantle zone in non-neoplastic lymphoid follicles, and differences of hGR (4H2) expression among the types of malignant lymphoma and grades of follicular lymphoma, which probably contribute to the different steroid sensitivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used a rapid, visually read, field applicable monoclonal antibody (MoAb)-dipstick assay for specific diagnosis of urinary schistosomiasis together with microscopy to determine the prevalence of infant schistosomiasis in a community in the Awutu-Efutu Senya District in the Central Region of Ghana. The study group consisted of 97 infants (51 males and 46 females) aged 2 months to 5 years. A total of 75 of 97 (77.3%) subjects submitted stool samples; none had Schistosoma mansoni. Three individuals (3.1%) had hookworms but there were no other intestinal helminths. The urinary schistosomiasis prevalence by MoAb-dipstick (30%) was higher ( P < 0.05) than that estimated by microscopy (11.2%). However, three of nine (33.3%) microscopically confirmed cases tested MoAb-dipstick positive after pre-treatment of the urine specimen with heat. The youngest infant to be found infected with S. haematobium microscopically was 4 months old. Fifteen of 71 S. haematobium egg negative individuals tested dipstick positive, giving a dipstick specificity of 78.9% as compared with microscopy as gold standard test. The relative sensitivity of the dipstick was 100%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibody responses to antigens from adult Schistosoma haematobium were investigated in an endemic community in Ghana, using microplate-ELISA. The results of a survey of egg output in urine and of a questionnaire-based investigation of water-contact activities were used to select 'endemic normal' (EN) and patently infected (PI) individuals as subjects. The plasma levels of antibodies reacting with the adult-worm antigens were determined and compared and the correlations between these levels and the age, water-contact index and egg output of each subject were evaluated. Compared with the EN subjects, the PI generally had higher levels of anti-worm IgG and IgE but lower levels of anti-worm IgA. When the data for the EN and PI groups were combined, the levels of anti-worm IgG and IgE were found to be positively correlated with egg output and with each other. Whichever the antibody class considered, levels of anti-worm antibodies were never negatively correlated with egg output. These results indicate that anti-worm IgE and IgG could be used as markers to reflect current infection intensity, and that anti-worm antibodies may not act as protective antibodies in the natural course of urinary schistosomiasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method is proposed of fabrication of ferroelectric nanostructures using porous silicon as a template. It is shown that with the pore size of about 20 nm conventional sol-gel technique provides embedding of guest material only into the top layer of the host. Optical second harmonic generation is used as a probe to distinguish between paraelectric and ferroelectric phases of embedded nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although enteral nutrition (EN) therapy for Crohn's disease has been confirmed to be as effective as steroid therapy, the precise mechanism responsible for the effects of EN remains unclear, although some of the therapeutic effects of EN are believed to be due to a low dietary fat content. In order to elucidate the influence of fat in EN, it is important to investigate not only the quantity of fat, but also the source of the fat.Methods: We compared two enteral nutritional formulae: Elental (Ajinomoto) (elemental diet; ED), which contains only 1.5% fat, provided as long-chain triglycerides (LCT), versus Twinline (Snow Brand Milk Products) (TL), which contains a high percentage of fat (20.4%), provided mainly as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). These formulae were tested on rat enteritis and rat colitis induced by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS).Results: Both ED and TL reduced the manifestations of enteritis. TL had a stronger anti-inflammatory effect than ED for colitis. TL also had nutritional advantages as compared with ED, as shown by the total serum protein in the TL group being significantly higher than that in the ED group.Conclusion: The results indicate that intraluminal MCT is suitable as a fat energy source during intestinal inflammation in rats. We suggest that Twinline may be more useful to improve nutritional status and to reduce the mucosal inflammation in rat colitis, but that Twinline is equal in effect to Elental for rat enteritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of recent studies on the mechanisms of the survival of peripheral memory T cells, we tested the biologic role of pectate lyase, a pectin-degrading enzyme, as the cross-reactive antigen required for the recurring survival signals for human T cells specific for Cha o 1, a pollen allergen molecule of the Japanese cypress. We determined a 16-mer epitope peptide for the T-cell clone, and prepared synthetic oligopeptides of homologous regions in putative pectate lyase of other plants. Of these homologous peptides, ZePel (Zinnia elegans), ban 17 (banana), and Amb a 1.1 (short ragweed) induced strong proliferative responses of the Cha o 1-specific T-cell clone in vitro. In addition, suboptimal doses of peptide homologs derived from banana and short ragweed enhanced the survival potency of this T-cell clone without detectable proliferative responses to the peptides. When there was no antigen stimulation, the T-cell clone decreased in viable cell number and lost antigen-specific proliferation activity on day 6 during in vitro incubation. On the other hand, T-cell clones incubated with these survival-inducing peptides maintained proliferative activity to Cha o 1 even on day 9. Serum derived from the donor patient did not contain detectable levels of IgE specific to banana or short ragweed by CAP-RAST. These results show that human T cells specific for pollen allergen seem to use cross-reactive pectate lyase peptides to deliver survival signals even in the absence of pollen allergen, and memory T cells maintained in such a manner might be functioning at the onset of allergic pollinosis, although pollen allergens are seasonal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no doubt that HLA-DR molecules are acting as the products of HLA-linked immune response genes (Ir-genes), because (i) HLA-DR molecules are the restriction elements in the interaction between CD4+ helper T cells and antigen-presenting cells (APC) to respond to many antigens such as streptococcal cell wall antigen (SCW) (Nishimura & Sasazuki, 1983; Sone et al., 1985; Hizayama et al., 1986), schistosomal antigen (Sj) (Hirayama et al., 1987), Mycobacterium leprae antigen (ML) (Kikuchi et al., 1986) and so on; and (ii) anti-HLA-DR monoclonal antibodies completely abolish the immune response to those antigens (Nishimura & Sasazuki, 1983; Sone et al., 1985). However, genetic analysis of the immune response to those antigens in families or populations revealed that responsiveness is recessive and non-responsiveness to those antigens is a dominant genetic trait that is tightly linked to HLA (Sasazuki et al., 1980a, 1983; Watanabe et al., 1988). This is completely opposite to the situation under the Ir-gene control where responsiveness is dominant and non-responsiveness is recessive. In this paper, we report evidence of how we came across the concept of HLA-linked immune suppression genes (Is-genes) besides Ir-genes, and show evidence for the epistatic interaction between HLA-DR and DQ to determine the immune response to several antigens in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results of a time-resolved study of the ultrafast magnetic response of Gd23.1 Fe71 .9 Co5.0 magnetically amplified magnetooptical systems (MAMMOS) structures under Conditions near actual read/write temperatures. An all-optical pump and probe method was used in which an intense (pump) light beam excited a medium due to ultrafast laser heating and a less intense (probe) beam monitored this photo-excited state through the magnetooptical Kerr effect. Our experiment clearly demonstrates that the photo-excitation effectively excites coherent spin waves in the magnetic material. Precession frequencies of several gigahertz and relaxation times in the nanosecond range were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A procedure is suggested for the preparation of porous silicon-based ferroelectric nanostructures. It is demonstrated that the method of chemical deposition from solutions provides for the penetration of the initial components of the solution into the matrix pores, and subsequent annealing leads to the crystallization of the ferroelectric phase. The diagnostics of the ferroelectric properties is performed using the method of generation of second optical harmonic. The spectral characteristics of the prepared ferroelectric nanostructures are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines a magnetic domain expansion readout method for high density magnetooptics recording named magnetic amplifying magneto-optical system (MAMMOS). Utilization of the LIM MAMMOS and MFM MAMMOS method; Functions of the readout layer; Effectiveness of the MFM method in the reproduction of expanded readout signals.

Estimates the resolution and quality of the magnetic amplifying magneto-optical system (MAMMOS) read-out signal. Expansion of the magnetic field structure; Measurement of MAMMOS signal dependent of the read-out laser power; Capacity of MAMMOS to realize high resolution and large signa.

New magnetic configurations in 2D and 3D artificial lattices are studied by solving the non-linear equation based on the classical Heisenberg models for 2D and 3D artificial lattices. The results indicate a strong possibility of use as an ultra-high density magnetic recording media achieved by magnetic multi-valued (MMV) recording. The MMV states are based on the magnetic anisotropic configurations in 2D and 3D artificial lattices. In this paper, the magnetic properties of these artificial lattices and the density of MMV recording are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents an abstract of the study 'Plastic Substrate Preembossed 100 kbpi, 3.4 μ Track Width Magnetic Disk,' by O. Ishizaki, T. Ohnuki, K. Adachi, K. Akagi, H. Momiji, O. Komoda and N. Ohta.

Presents an abstract of the study 'Magneto-optic Disks for High-Density recording With a Shorter Wavelength Laser,' by M. Takahashi, J. Nakamura, F. Kirino, Y. Miyamura, N. Ohta and R. Suzuki.

The article presents a letter to the editor about the pathology of arteriovenous malformation.